nemo, nihil, nullus (No One, Nothing, None)

No One, Nothing, None

Level 3

Use one negative word, and the sentence is negative.

How It Works

WordMeaningOther forms
nemono oneneminem (accusative), nemini (dative)
nihilnothingdoes not change
nullus, nulla, nullumno, nonenullius (genitive), nulli (dative)
numquamneverdoes not change

Nullus agrees with its noun like bonus: nullus puer, nulla puella and nullum donum (no boy, no girl, no gift).

Nemo has no genitive or ablative of its own, so Latin borrows nullius (of no one) from nullus.

Latin does not double its negatives. One is enough: Nihil video means I see nothing. Two negatives cancel each other, so non nihil means something.

Examples (5)

  1. Nemo venit.

    No one comes.

    Nemo is the subject, so the verb is singular.

  2. Nihil video.

    I see nothing.

    Nihil is the object, and no extra non is needed.

  3. Nullus puer in schola est.

    No boy is in the school.

    Nullus agrees with puer.

  4. Iulia numquam domi est.

    Iulia is never at home.

    Numquam is an adverb and does not change.

  5. Sine me nihil potestis facere.

    Without me you can do nothing.

    Nihil is the object of facere. The words are from John 15:5.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding non to a negative word.

    Non video nihil.
    Nihil video.

    Two negatives cancel in Latin, so this sentence says that I do not see nothing, which means I see something. The intended meaning was: I see nothing, which needs only nihil.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

nemo, nihil, nullus (No One, Nothing, None)Level 3No One, Nothing, None

Learn This First

These are negative words, and nullus is an adjective.

Words in This Pattern

nemonihilnullusnullusnumquam